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Story:Kings of Strife/Part 36
Part Thirty-Six Empiria was in shambles. The sight of the city, so unorganized and chaotic yet rushing headlong into near martial law, made Karilyn uncomfortable. Empiria was supposed to be a proud city, proud of its history and significance and power, but now all it exuded an air of reeling vulnerability rather than confident hubris. The city was wounded, healing, and nowhere near its full power. It sent a disturbing message. Inusia, the strongest nation in the world for almost a thousand years, was not invincible. It could be wounded, and perhaps even toppled. These were the least of Karilyn’s worries as she stepped out of her truck in front of a military roadblock. Soon after, Luther Vinahkman – the “doctor” she had saved – also exited and fell in behind her. He was healing rather fast, and to be walking after just a few days of travel was immense progress for him. His body, even wrapped in the dirty cloths and robes she could spare to dress him, completely towered over hers’. “We’re too late,” Vinahkman stated. “Wouldn’t have guessed,” Karilyn stated. As she adjusted the large mantle of fur around her shoulders, the two of them walked towards the small outpost stationed at the side of the road. In front of them, the city was full of bluecoats running about and frightened citizens milling about anxiously. Smoke had been visible from the heart of the city earlier, but now the skies were clear. Dark, gray, and fading into twilight, but clear. “Can I see your IDs? What’s your business here?” questioned a tall, handsome bluecoat as he walked towards Karilyn and Luther. He had basic Inusian good looks with a powerful chin and wavy brown hair, but he found himself completely eclipsed by Luther’s broken form. “Our business is official,” Luther stated as he pulled out a small ID card from his pants pocket and showed it to the soldier. It was stamped by a high-ranking Inusian emblem, and the soldier’s eyes widened slightly as he turned and waved the two visitors to follow him. “Sorry sir,” the man stated as he hastily allowed the two through the gated barrier blocking all roads into the city. “Security has been all types of crazy after the incident from earlier. We’re not supposed to let anyone in the city except VIPs and certified bluecoats.” “And what exactly has… transpired here?” The road before the checkpoint was crowded with parked cars, buggies, trucks, and materials from all the stopped people who presumably had to leave their vehicles behind when entering the city. Luther looked about in distaste, Karilyn in curiosity. The young Inusian soldier looked at Luther with confusion. “Where have you been, sir? Have you not heard?” Luther looked at the bluecoat with a clenched jaw and quickly made up an excuse. “I’ve been… Traveling. My mission is classified, soldier.” “Yes, of course, sir. Well… Empiria was attacked. A warrior killed every soldier he encountered on the last train coming from Shorica to Inusian soil, and rode it here to Empiria. He then went on a massacre… Between citizens and bluecoats killed by his wrath, theres a death count in the hundreds. Even more were wounded. We have reason to believe this terrorist was the same thief that the Crimson Death was hired to take out months ago… And apparently that mission has failed.” Luther’s countenance exploded in rage upon hearing that Silverius truly had come this far and caused so much damage. He looked away and his knees trembled – his mental turmoil was beginning to affect his body, and he shook in agony. Karilyn, noticing the stress Luther was going through, stepped forward and took charge of the situation. “Surely this terrorist didn’t cause all of this damage? Does one man require the complete shutting down of entrance to the city? We saw smoke – how much structural damage could he really accomplish by himself?” The bluecoat looked at Karilyn with suspicion, but eventually swallowed and decided she was worth speaking to. “No… That wasn’t all. The ICA headquarters were attacked by Vainia Sestrum, the rebel who destroyed Phenicks and laid siege to Shorekeep. She brought her terrorist views here and somehow managed to give an entire speech while her followers held the place hostage. When she escaped in a stolen airship, she was pursued by our remaining air forces, but Empiria’s air harbor is still recovering from its audits, and the resistance wasn’t what it should have been. Not only did she escape, but people around the country – especially here – are rioting in response to her words. A damned agent of chaos, she is.” Veins became visible around the soldier’s temple as he cursed Vainia. Karilyn turned and breathed deeply, stunned by the developments she had heard about. The world truly was changing. “Crono,” muttered Luther. Both Karilyn and the bluecoat looked back at the old former soldier who had by now regained his composure. He turned and looked the Inusian soldier in the eye. “The terrorist boy. Did he escape here?” The soldier reddened in the face. “Yes, sir, he did. We… couldn’t stop him, not with all our forces focused on Vainia.” Silence took hold of the checkpoint’s small outpost for a moment. “Well?!” growled Luther, his fists tight with impatience. “Where did he go?!” “Er, east, sir. Our last sources reported him heading south-east, but we lost contact with our scouts somewhere in the forests just north of the Mirage, sir.” “Icarun…” Luther’s mind raced and he fiddled with a pair of black sunglasses he had left in his free pocket. Icarun, far southeast of Empiria and directly south of Morshia City, was Inusia’s biggest fortress besides Inusia City itself, and was located at the innermost point of the Queen’s Bay. If Silverius was targeting the military, he would undoubtedly head to Icarun. Icarun was one of Inusia’s strongest bases. Icarun was where Luther and Silverius had clashed for the final time, all those years ago. Icarun was where Silverius was headed. “You know General Draizen, correct?” The bluecoat looked stunned. “High General Draizen? Of course, who doesn’t know him?!” A slight smile tugged at his lips. “Tell him I’m not going to fail him. He won’t be happy once you mention me, but tell him the situation is under control. As under control as it gets.” “Wha… You are close to the High General like that? You want me to speak to the High General?” The soldier almost dropped the clipboard he had been idly scribbling on while the group was talking, so great was his awe. Luther only frowned at him and readjusted his cloak. “Let’s go, Mrs. Red,” the old soldier stated as he donned his dark glasses and quickly started towards her discarded truck. “Our business is not here.” He only hoped that they would not be too late once again. ***** Once again, Vik and Jütenas said nothing to each other on the airship they were using to travel. This time, they were leaving Nneoh and traveling straight to Shorekeep, on an otherwise barren private airship. This time, they were silent not from awkward acquaintance but because of too close acquaintance. Vik remembered nothing about the previous night. The drink had dulled his mind and slowed his mind, so when he awoke that morning and saw a dressed Jütenas sitting on the side of the bed, looking down at him silently, he assumed the worst. But… What exactly had happened? Who was Jütenas, and what did Vik do to seduce them in only one night? Had he seduced them? Vik wasn’t the type to rape anyone, he knew that, but… That still didn’t explain what had happened. Nothing made any sense anymore. So Vik took solace within his own mind and focused only on the matters ahead of him. Matters of high import were occurring, and he was at the center of it. As the two emissaries left the luxurious Nuresi hotel and returned to the City of Ports, they had met with a Nneonian messenger who handed them their two tickets on the only first-class airship leaving for Shorekeep in days, and told simply that the Nneonian supreme council had “accepted their demands”. In other words, the generals had blindly agreed to Jütenas’ conditions – Vainia’s, really – and shooed the two of them out of the country. Vik was wary and on his toes the entire time. He wouldn’t have been surprised if assassins secretly went after the two as they prepared to leave, or if the Nneonians found some way to back out of their promise. Vainia had asked them for ships, after all, a fleet of ten of Nneoh’s best airships. This was no easy condition, and to be forced to ally with what was essentially a nation of terrorists and rebels had to wound Nneoh’s pride. But neither Nneoh’s pride nor Vainia’s victories mattered to him now. What did matter to him? He cared only for justice, but justice for whom? He was beyond redeeming, simply a murderer and traitor living off the rest of his life wherever he would receive peace. That was not a fact he could dispute. Would he truly fight and die for Vainia, despite what his vows stated? Could he live with himself if something happened to Vainia and her people? To Jütenas? Vik looked over to Jütenas, wonder building in his mind. Jütenas had told the Nneonian Supreme Council that he held a Crystal, and used it for Vainia. For Jütenas to know this, Vainia had to know it… What else did Vainia know about him? Jütenas shifted in his seat and played with a finger full of hair. The Baron had chosen not to wear his hat this day, and his long pink hair was styled in ringlets rolling down their back. She was beautiful… or he was. Whatever they were, Vik found himself breathless looking at their slim figure. The more he thought about it, the more he found himself believing that the two of them had committed unspeakable acts the last night. So what did this mean for Vik, and his sexuality? Was he heterosexual, homosexual, or simply unprofessional? Alcohol did a wonder on someone, but whatever he did, it must have been enjoyable. Jütenas had not said anything about it, but Vik knew not of whether he should speak of the subject. All he could remember was the gorgeous moon in the sky, and a vague feeling of weakness – vulnerability. The airship ride continued like this for hours until it finally touched down in Shorekeep’s airport, which was still rebuilding after the great riots burned the facility to the ground. As Vik and Jütenas left the vehicle, the first thing the both of them noticed was how much cooler and windier Shorica was than Nneoh. Neither were used to traveling around the world so freely, after all. The second thing they both noticed was that they were instantly greeted by four soldiers in silver cloaks. “We are here to escort you to Lady Vainia,” the man in the middle of the group said. He was a tall, gruff man, with gray hair and a black goatee. Unlike the other soldiers, his silver cloak had fur on its collar. Perhaps he was the leader of the group? Vik and Jütenas followed the men through the streets of Shorekeep silently at first, until Vik took to looking over the men around them. He recognized none of them… until he made a double take to the soldier standing directly to his left. The soldier, upon being recognized, looked to Vik and smiled. His eyes twinkled and he adjusted the multicolored hat sitting atop his blond strands of hair. “I told you I’d find my own way.” Moritaka Posmos, warrior in Vainia Sestum’s Eternal Corps, grinned mischieviously at Vik. The Nneonian man’s mouth widened slightly at this revelation. “Wait… What? You… you joined Vainia? You’re a part of her guard?” “Her most prestigious guard, yes.” The two of them walked slightly behind Jütenas and the rest of the Eternal Corps escort. “I found my name, my home, and my purpose. I am Moritaka Posmos, sworn guardian of Shorica.” For the first time, Vik wondered if Vainia’s nation could even be called Shorica anymore… Or if Moritaka knew what he was getting himself into. “Her most prestigious guard?” Vik frowned. “You’re a boy who has no memory of his life. It’s highly likely that you have no battle experience at all. What prestige could this guard possibly have?” Moritaka frowned. “I don’t know anything of what I did before we woke up together, but I have skills. I know where to strike, I know how to wield a sword, I am physically fit… So I can tell I took care of myself, before the riots. And my comrades are even more accomplished,” he boasted. Vik looked at Moritaka for a long while without saying anything. The boy looked just like a male Cidolas… but that was impossible. They had different eye colors. Moritaka wore that strange multi-colored hat and scarf fusion on his head. Moritaka actually had a personality and goals. In fact, he didn’t even seem to know about the Crystals. But how else could he know how to wield a blade, or be strong enough to find himself in an elite guard? What did any of this mean? The city of Shorekeep did little to relieve Vik of his questions. Shorekeep had exploded into riots only twenty days after the new year and another twenty days had since passed, but the city looked as if it had been rebuilding for years. The thin cobblestone streets, thinned further by cars and trucks parallel parked, had clear pockets and corners still burned or upheaved. But besides the roughness of the streets, strewn construction equipment here and there, and damaged buildings, the area was not as chaotic as one would assume. Posters were attached haphazardly to all surfaces, depicting Vainia Sestrum and speaking of her glory. Men and women, drunkards and workers, walked the streets and went about their days without hassle. Music distantly played on the horizon, always just outside of earshot, giving the windy city an air of melodic travels and nostalgic eras. It was as if Shorekeep had completely embraced the new and melded it with the old. It was a timeless city. As the escort walked through the city, the streets gradually got less and less damaged and the amount of soldiers patrolling the corners of sidewalks grew. Eventually they entered the heart of downtown and the part of the city closest to the cliffs, and Vainia’s Black Castle was visible on the horizon. One of the soldiers in silver cloaks dropped back and spoke to Vik and Moritaka. He looked older than Moritaka yet younger than Vik, and had a chin covered by dark brown facial hair. Along with a long mane of dark brown hair pulled back into a bun, the beard gave the soldir an experienced look, but his eyes betrayed this with clear shining youth visible at all times. “So what’s the deal with you and the Baron? What were you guys out doing? Lady Vainia hasn’t let anyone else in or out of the country lately.” That made sense. After her stunt in Empiria, it would be smart for Vainia to crack down on Shorica’s borders. If anything, Vik was surprised that Vainia’s sphere of influence had taken hold of the entire country. “I don’t know if I’m allowed to tell you about that,” Vik mumbled. Moritaka nodded in agreement. “He’s right, Rveld. If we needed to know why these two arrived suddenly and needed us to escort them, Lady Vainia would have told us.” “Shut it, Posmos,” the blond retorted. “I just don’t think its right for us to be away from the rest of the main militia if all we’re going to do is walk around the city with some lame ambassadors. We should be east, holding the border with the rest of the militia.” A voice chimed from ahead as a serious looking dark-skinned man with low cut white hair turned towards Vik and his fellow Eternal Corps members. “The only militia sent to the border are former Feds and barely useful rookies. Lady Vainia’s only throwing cannon fodder there until a real conflict begins. We’ll get our chance.” Vik listened intently to the political talk of his escorts, the contents of which he eagerly took in as knowledge, and beside him Moritaka cleared his throat. “We are arriving.” Unlike the rest of the city, one could tell that the Black Castle had been built in a hurry and was only haphazardly kept together. It was constructed of black seastone harvested from Shorekeep’s very own coastline, and was both uneven and not particularly aesthetically pleasing. Aggressive black towers reached up into the sky, pure black columns held up flamboyant black verandas and black balconies, and the crude wall around the castle was just as off-putting as ever. The castle spoke of powerful ambition and unshakable strength, but was truthfully a structure that looked built to punish, not to hold as a home. The gate on the wall before the castle was manned by a handful of militiamen in tan military uniforms. They allowed the silver cloaked escort and their protectees to enter the castle without any hold-up. ‘Maybe these people really do have some clout,’ Vik wondered. ‘And maybe I’m being too hard on them, simply for not being Herohji…’ Painful memories began to swirl up in Vik’s head, and the scar over his left eyebrow began to pulse in agitation. He rubbed it with his thumb and continued to walk. Most of the Black Castle was eerily empty. Sounds echoed throughout its dark corridors of people going about work and milling around, but there were very few people to be found outside. Windows and openings showed plenty of people and trainees in the courtyards, but little was to be found on the inside of the castle. After a trek upstairs and down more empty hallways, they found Vainia in her throne room with the door closed and an Eternal Corps member standing guard. The woman in the silver cloak lifted her chin and looked at the escort walking towards her. She was tall and thin, and her short-cut brunette hair shone with a bright luster. Her eyes had the same light, although her clenched jaw depicted her as one of serious character. “Leader Rin, it pains me to tell you that Lady Vainia is in an important meeting with her Barons at the moment. It’s just started, and right before that she was speaking with her Regional Council, and after this she has an appointment with the Lex Libris future affairs committee. You will have to enter later.” A man in a silver cloak with a fur collar, the same man who greeted Vik and Jütenas when they arrived, stepped forward and spoke. “Lady Vainia stated that the arrival of these two was urgent and required her immediate attention, Wensteinvy. We must enter.” The female Corps member frowned. “But she told me not let anyone enter…” “Her orders and mine trump any other command. Step aside.” The female looked down with a dark look. “For the Queen’s glory,” she muttered as she moved aside and opened the massive door to the throne room. Only the fur-collared leader, Vik, and Jütenas stepped inside the room, and the door closed behind them. On her throne was Vainia, sitting with a large red cloak over her body and her face propped onto a fist. Standing in front of her were the four other Revolutionary Barons. Whoever was speaking had stopped when the door opened, and all of the people inside the room looked to see who was interrupting them. Vainia’s face transformed from boredom to interest once the new arrivals entered. “So you’ve returned,” she stated as she stood. “Do you bring good news?” Vik chuckled. “It doesn’t seem like anybody gets a rest around here. I’m suffering from jet lag and that’s the greeting we get?” Jütenas did not find amusement in his joke, and Tasshon – easily the tallest Baron, who also wore a deep red cloak over himself that pinned at his collar bone – stepped towards Vik with malice. “Lady Vainia asked you a question,” he growled. A frown crept along Vik’s face. It was clear that Tasshon did not have a liking for him. “It was just as you predicted, Lady Vainia. The Nneonians agreed to all your demands.” The Baron members besides Jütenas all looked lost, but Vainia replied with a smile. “Good,” the queen stated. “Very good. Yes… This works out quite nicely.” The only other (?) female Baron looked at Vainia with confusion. “We’ve an alliance with Nneoh, now? Lady Vainia, they’re a part of the World Government, as well. In fact, considering their civil war conflicts, it’s likely that they’re an influential member that has serious ties to Inusia. They certainly won’t be loyal.” She adjusted the collar of her uniform. Unlike Jütenas, she and the other Barons had changed out of the Zeta Academy uniforms and wore custom black suits with golden epaulets, buttons, and adornments. “They wouldn’t dare betray us,” Jütenas boasted. All eyes looked towards the Baron of Foreign Affairs and stayed there once they all realized that, for the first time, Jütenas did not wear his signature hat. She looked to Vik before continuing. “I told them of the power our newest ambassador showed in Empiria, and told them of our immeasurable potential. All they needed was for you to support them financially when the time came, Lady Vainia.” Vainia nodded in satisfaction with this. Razmid Arensten, the dark-skinned Baron of Treasury, spoke up next. “We can barely support ourselves, and that’s with copious intervention from my own foreign accounts. After Lady Vainia’s speech, we’ve gained increased worldwide support to our cause, but ports from almost every country are closing to us. Imports and exports are predicted to plummet in the coming months.” He crossed his arms and looked downtrodden. “Of course, we will survive, but I won’t be able to wire money from my family’s accounts forever.” The Arensten family was one of Inusia’s most wealthy and influential, but they were strongly against Vainia’s cause, and they considered Razmid dead after most of Zeta Academy’s students were slaughtered. “That will not be a problem. Not much of the existing world will exist in the coming months,” Vainia stated. She spoke as ever with bombastic words and almost impossible promises, and her noble pedigree and natural aura made one believe every word she said. “Inusia is taking their time striking back at us, and the border has not yet been compromised. I will make the first move on them with my new tools.” Vik looked at the queen with wide open eyes and a clenched jaw. “Wait, what? Is that why you requested Nneonian strength – to attack Inusia?!” He’d assumed the airship navy forces she’d demanded were to defend her own land, because Inusia was definitely going to attack them soon, and Shorica’s airship navy was paltry at best. But to attack Inusia after an act of what couldn’t be classified as anything other than aggression? Was this leader of his insane? “You’ll get us all killed!” Vainia smiled at Vik. “I know you’re new here, so I will excuse your ignorance. I have no fear. All the world will bend its knee to my ambition and I.” The leader of the Eternal Corps cleared his throat, reminding everyone in attendance that he was still in the room. “With all due respect, Lady Vainia… The ambassador is not wrong. We have neither the army nor the morale to endure extended Inusian aggression. Their army numbers almost three times more than ours.” “War hasn’t been about numbers for thousands of years, Leader Rin.” Vainia scowled at the man in the silver cloak. “My ancestor Vistaelus II had a hundred thousand men and still lost to Inusius I 1400 years ago in the great Clash of Kings. That may have been the dawn of Inusia’s treachery, but I can still learn from it. The men of Inusia were only sixty thousand strong, but the ambition of their king was innumerable. I have inherited the ambition of kings, and the burden of 1400 years of oppression. It is time that debt is paid.” The crimson-haired skinny Baron growled. “My spies have been assassinating Inusian ones near the border almost endlessly since our assault on Empiria, but there have been few they managed to capture. They say the Inusian army is rallying. It will descend upon us soon.” “I will strike before they get a chance to,” Vainia said. “Two days from now. That is when we will strike.” “We have less than four thousand militiamen in the city,” grumbled Tasshon, the tallest Baron. When he moved, the red cloak over him opened on the side, revealing that he wore the same new uniform as the other Barons. “We could attack with airships, but we only have enough men scrambled to man three battleships, and scarcely.” Razmid piped up next. “Buying ammunition, rations, and fuel for three outfitted battleships in less than two days will be almost impossible,” he complained. “I would not be able to sleep, arranging it all.” “Be silent, you fools! It is possible, right?” Jütenas surprised everyone in the room – including Vainia – by speaking up at her fellow Barons. “I can contact Nneoh and get six ships sent to us by the morrow. Three to be manned by our men, three manned by Nneonian sailors. They will comply with whatever is demanded of them.” He looked to Lady Vainia with an extended lip, as if showing her queen the spoils meant for her name. “Is that your will, Lady Vainia?” The queen looked at Jütenas with surprise before sitting down on her throne and nodding. “Make it seven – I will need a flagship. But yes, that will suffice, Baron Jütenas.” Vik tore his gaze away from Jütenas’ angular face, pink hair, and confident lip to look at Vainia in concern. He, too, had serious doubts about this sudden attack, but was now thinking twice about vocalizing them. “So where will you be striking? Inusia is a big place, but the ships will likely be shot down long before they get anywhere on the east or north coast. Even if they are Nneonian ships.” Vainia looked Vik without a smile and crossed her legs. She did not reply for a second and stared at him in thought. Vik couldn’t help but realize how attractive the young queen was, and not for the first time he wondered just how old she was. “We will be attacking the Icarun fortress,” she said after a few moments. “Occupying it will be an unprecedented stepping stone to weaken Inusia.” Tasshon and the rest of the room, even Jütenas, was speechless. “Wha… The fortress overlooking the eastern cliffs of the Queen’s Gulf? Isn’t that one of the most secure Inusian bases, besides the Black Pass or Inusia City itself? My queen…” Even Eternal Corps leader Tlerius Rin looked down to his feet. “This is…” Vainia rolled her eyes, but otherwise looked to be in serious thought. “The Black Pass has been barren for years. Yes, it is formidable, but they will not expect Nneonian ships to descend upon them from the north. The attack will take place in the dead of night, and with Inusian armies rallying to either attack our eastern border or reinforce Empiria, there is a good chance it will succeed. Rather, I will make sure it succeeds.” She played with the rapier in its holster that usually leaned on the side of her angular golden throne. “This… This isn’t some kind of game!” shouted Vik. “You’ll kill us all, sending us to attack one of Inusia’s strongest ports!” His fists began to shake. Was he supposed to welcome death after all he had done? Had he sinned enough for that? He did not know, but he knew this was not how he wanted to die. Silverius was yet missing. Ouroboros still threatened the world. He had not seen his father in months. What was he doing here, wasting his time and participating in suicide missions, when all of his goals still walked the earth? “That is the last instance of your ignorance I will forgive,” Vainia stated without looking up from her holstered sword. “I will helm the seventh ship, and it will have the Eternal Corps aboard it; Baron Tasshon will control our men’s airships and Ambassador Vik will lead the Nneonian men. They will launch four hours after sunset in two days time. Are there any other questions?” The room was completely silent. “You are all dismissed.” Vainia stated. “For the Queen’s glory,” every member of the room said as they turned and left. Vainia did not move from her spot. Outside the throne room, the Barons said nothing and immediately dispersed to their chambers. Corps Leader Rin rubbed his forehead with closed eyes and nodded past Wensteinvy as he walked down the dark hallway. Only Vik stood by the door for minutes after the meeting had concluded – Vik and Jütenas. She came to his side after the two stood there for a short while, both lost in thought. “You are troubled,” he stated to the Nneonian ex-soldier. “You will grow used to Lady Vainia’s manners soon.” Vik looked to the thin Baron out of the corner of his eye. His scar was aching, he had grown irritated in the meeting, and this pile of secrets speaking to him did nothing to improve his mood. “That’s what I’m afraid of. Will you show me to my chambers?” Jütenas immediately turned to walk off and Vik followed hastily. “We will be sharing chambers,” the Baron of Foreign Affairs stated nonchalantly. They began to lead Vik down a hallway and up a flight of black seastone stairs. Vik almost choked. “What?” “Yes. I trust you.” Those words rang a bell in Vik’s memory, and out of the drunken haze of the previous night he began to piece together an image of Jütenas saying those exact words before. “Trust me with what? Yourself? What’s going on between us? What happened last night?” Jütenas did not look perturbed. “I didn’t expect you to remember. That is not an issue.” “Yeah, it kind of is!” “Our bond has been created, through circumstance and consensual action. It cannot be easily broken.” “Was it consensual? I was pretty damn drunk.” “You did not do anything I did not desire. I trust you.” Jütenas led Vik around a bend, and the two arrived at a large chamber at the end of a dark hallway. Jütenas turned a key and opened the door, leading Vik into a spacious room with multiple lamps, a bed too large for even two people to share, and two tall windows that showed a view of the dark waters of the Queen’s Gulf. The sun had set during the meeting with Vainia, and now only darkness shone into the chambers of the Baron of Foreign Affairs. “There you go with that weird trust thing again. Look… I don’t really want to get too attached to anyone around here.” Vik shook his head. “Especially not with… my mortality compromised, apparently.” He gulped and shivered. The height and construction of the building did not keep out all of the wind. He missed Nneoh’s humidity already. Vik’s escort turned to him. For the umpteenth time since he awoke that morning, Vik was struck dumb by Jütenas’ elegant features, the usually unseen stern look on their face, and the wavy bangs over their forehead. “Have you ever heard of methanol?” Jütenas asked. “Methanol?” Vik replied. He shook his head. “What is that?” “It’s a deadly poison very similar to ethanol, which is found in common alcohol. If ingested, methanol takes only a little over twenty-four hours to metabolize into formaldehyde and induce respiratory failure and eventually, death.” Silence. Vik licked his lips. “Really… What a coincidence. Have you heard of the oleander plant? It grows in abundance in Nneoh. Just a sprinkle of it on any worn surface can induce extreme skin and organ damage within hours.” He looked down at Jütenas’ hat, clipped to their belt. The two stared each other down for what felt like hours in the midst of palpable tension. Finally, after an eternity of this silent conflict, Jütenas stepped forward. She began to unbutton their Zeta uniform jacket and snaked his free hand around Vik’s neck. Vik’s eyes narrowed, but he did not move even as the Baron grew very close to him. “What is this?” “This is the birth of the new world. This is the actions which will forever go down in history. Lady Vainia will not be stopped.” A frown pulled on Vik’s full lips. “No. You know what I’m asking about.” Jütenas smiled and laid his head on Vik’s shoulders. Her lips moved ever close to his neck, their breath inducing shivers down Vik’s spine. “This is our trust.” Suddenly Vik ran a hand around Jütenas’ thin waist and pulled them with him onto the bed beside them. The expansive mattress was fresh and allowed the two to bounce slightly before staying stationary. They looked in each other’s eyes without any words exchanged for a long, long time. Too long to be comfortable. “Did you do this with everyone else? Was this part of her orders, too?” Vik asked. Jütenas smiled and laid their forehead upon Vik’s. “Do you want to meet your destiny that badly?” “Answer me,” Vik demanded sternly. Jütenas said nothing to him. “This is too sudden. We’ve just met.” He tried to pull away. “I can sleep outside…” Jütenas lost the playful look they had and held Vik in his spot with a firm hand on his own waist. “Are the bonds of the heart doomed to serve time? How much time in this world do you think we have?” they asked softly. Vik had no answer to this. Jütenas continued to stare in his eyes, even as their slim hand ran down the side of Vik’s body and traced his masculine curves. “The human body is so fragile,” Jütenas whispered, “and can be scarred so.” “I’ve seen how you look at Lady Vainia,” Vik growled. “Are we more than friends? Do you sleep with her, too?” Jütenas was silent for a long time, but did not break eye contact. “He who believes that any relationship besides deep love and unfathomable hatred can exist is a fool,” they stated softly. “My father taught me that.” “Didn’t you know?” Vik responded. “I am a fool. My father taught me that.” ***** Silverius awoke to the sun starting to set. “I still live?” He sat up in wonder, a dull ache perturbing his senses. What happened to him? Where was the Chosen Knight? All pain and no answers. Nothing new there. He stood slowly, with bones creaking, and looked up at the sky. It was broad daylight when the two had battled, but the wounds on him had scarred and were on the road to complete recovery. He had to have been asleep for more than a few hours; an entire day or two seemed more likely. Hunger threatened to tear his stomach apart. Food, his body urged him. Sleep. Rest. Death. A normal man would have given up on everything a long time ago, but Silverius couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t. His mind wouldn’t let him. It pulled him in a different direction, filling him with anxiety and the feeling that he had to rush so that he didn’t miss the event of his life. Icarun. He recognized that name. It was a fortress overlooking the Queen’s Gulf, a body of water on the western side of Inusia that was bordered on the north by Shorica and on the south by Mortis. He had never been there. It was both the nation’s most fortified place and the home of its most dire criminals. Death row. A man was sent there only as a station of honor or a place to die. So why did he feel like all his answers lied there? Icarun. Icarun. The vices were still there, telling and urging and begging him to kill. Reach out a hand into the ribs, crushing bone around his fists, summoning wind to ravage the insides and cause a man the most pain before their death, rip out a man’s spine from the back of his neck and strangle another with it, sear off the flesh from a woman’s face and watch her scream without lips… The thoughts never ended, although they were much quieter than before. He shivered and felt disgust at himself. Where did these thoughts come from? Why did they plague him so? The Crystal powers and the magical influence was likely the answer, though he couldn’t help wondering if the voices were inside him the entire time. For most of his life, killing had come easy. Now it just came easier than before. Was he a monster? Did he really want to hurt others? Wasn’t the whole point of this journey to protect himself, the world, and Maria? No. She was gone. The world was gone. He would finish it all. He was gone. Silverius was gone. Crono was gone. Icarun. Icarun. Icarun. No matter how he pushed the image of that fortress out of his mind, the idea just wouldn’t go away. He wanted to know what had happened after he lost consciousness. He wanted to know why the Crystal of Wind was still in his waist satchel, still healing his wounds and fueling his mental discord. He wanted to know where he was going to eat, or where his few friends were, or what he was going to do with his life from now on, but all he could think of was that damned fort. He had no choice. Silverius had to go there. Somehow he knew Maria – no, the Chosen Knight – would be there. He didn’t know what else would be there waiting for him, but she would at least be there. This had to be resolved. Silverius shook with the cold of the night – he was shirtless and his pants were in rags. His mind trembled at the thought of his conflict lasting for the rest of his life. He was tired of waking up without anyone beside him with pain, he was tired of chasing his failures and having them strike back at him. He was tired of the Crystal and those who would have it. He was tired of living in misery. So he did not hunt as he left the Empirian forest, nor did he skirt the edges of the Mirage Desert as he walked southwest to the fortress. He did not keep himself from fluctuating from anger to melancholia, and he did not bother to keep his thoughts in order. He held his blade in his hand with a strong and steady grip and he walked with his back to the moon. Maybe his end was coming and maybe it was not yet ready for him, but he would not hesitate any longer in traveling towards it. She was waiting on him. ...End of Part Thirty-Six. <- Previous Page | Main Page | Next Page->